Do they regularly make tactical insertions via high grade mixed and ice routes?

If it's steep enough to need rebels then climbing it with all your army gear sounds like the worst plan ever. I'd hate to be the gpmg gunner in that situation. I suppose you could always haul bergans etc afterwards.

I wonder what kind of target they would be looking for at the top of a pitch of IV or whatever?

I suppose its good to know there are people trained for any eventuality. Maybe its just an excuse to go ice climbing (though the forces never really seem to bother finding excuses to do that kind of thing)

> (In reply to JayPee630)
>
> Do they regularly make tactical insertions via high grade mixed and ice routes?

Probably a case of whoever procures ice axes buying 'the very best' (also British). To them the differing versatilities or whatever of axes are just nuances. I imagine there's a lot of other gear that's 'the best', but those with an encyclopedic knowledge might claim that something more basic might be more suitable.

Cheers for the info for picking up another rebel. But I don't understand people's issue with military uses?!?! Its not as though every British soldiers is getting trained and equipped to scale grade V.
Its surely just for special forces.

Given the current issues over oil reserves in the Arctic, is it impossible that there will be no military action up that way.

Im sure there are loads of times where its been militarily advantageous to get troops up to high ground in mountain environments. Look at the Indian/ Pakistan border for example.

Its a good job we don't teach soldiers to ski too for that matter. Its not like there's ever been occupied heavy water plants in the mountains where the ability to ski or ice climb for tactical insertion would be of the slightest help.

Christ. You lot don't seem to have much imagination! Or indeed look at history, or even look at current affairs.

Go out and climb something, or read a paper or stop hijacking threads with uninformed drivel.

>
> Its a good job we don't teach soldiers to ski too for that matter. Its not like there's ever been occupied heavy water plants in the mountains where the ability to ski or ice climb for tactical insertion would be of the slightest help.
>

Nor did the Finns ever defeat the mighty Red Army by the application of superior cross conrty skiing ability.

Calm down! I don't think people are disputing the need for the ability to get high and move about in the mountains, more *wondering* if there's much of a military need for the ability to climb steep ice routes that often!

>
> Its a good job we don't teach soldiers to ski too for that matter. Its not like there's ever been occupied heavy water plants in the mountains where the ability to ski or ice climb for tactical insertion would be of the slightest help.
>

Thought norwegians were supposed to take care of those sort of things...

> Nor did the Finns ever defeat the mighty Red Army by the application of superior cross conrty skiing ability.

As I have a PhD on Finnish security policy I feel I should say something here. ;)

So they didn't defeat the Red Army, they slowed it down for a few months. It wasn't mighty when they fought it with some success, it was hugely under-resourced and ill-led, and the successes they did have weren't really the result of superior cross country skiing ability. But otherwise, spot on.

> Calm down! I don't think people are disputing the need for the ability to get high and move about in the mountains, more *wondering* if there's much of a military need for the ability to climb steep ice routes that often!

Particularly leashless, surely it would make better tactical sense to use leashed tools so you could drop them in order to fire your weapon at baddies? Although I admit that if the baddies were ALSO ice climbing - perhaps on a parallel icefall to yours - leashless would be better in the sense that as it is quicker to place an ice screw leashless, so I would imagine that it's also quicker to un-holster your Glock 9mm and blow away the terrorists as well?

In my film the ice climbing terrorists would definitely be using Nomics because we like to get in a subtle dig at the French when possible.

> So they didn't defeat the Red Army, they slowed it down for a few months. It wasn't mighty when they fought it with some success, it was hugely under-resourced and ill-led, and the successes they did have weren't really the result of superior cross country skiing ability. But otherwise, spot on.

Presumably the military would use their ice axes for training rather more than actual James Bond style insertions, at which point a rather nifty axe might be more fun for the people who get to play with them.

Also presumably you only have to get one guy and a really long rope (or radio/binoculars/laser targetter etc) up there to make a difference...

> (In reply to CharlieMack)
>
> Cheers for the info for picking up another rebel. But I don't understand people's issue with military uses?!?!
>
> Christ. You lot don't seem to have much imagination! Or indeed look at history, or even look at current affairs.
>
> Go out and climb something, or read a paper or stop hijacking threads with uninformed drivel.

I realise you've just had some stuff stolen but a bit of a sense of humour might help.

What sort of thread is this? You have an 'odd' axe, either sell it or find a partner. Some people don't care if they have a matched pair believe it or not and would be happy to pick one up for a few quid.